Article holder



c. E. BERG 1,976,430

ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Dec. 20, 1932 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED STATESARTICLE HOLDER Charles E. Berg,

Watertown, N. Y.

Application December 20, 1932, Serial No. 648,102

6 Claims.

This invention is a device for supporting brooms, brushes or otherhandled articles in proximity to a wall or like surface.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide 5 a simple devicewhich may be readily secured to a wall or other supporting surface, andhaving means for engaging the handle of a brush, broom or other handleddevice, in such manner as to hold it in a suspended position. A furtherobject is to 10 provide a device of the character mentioned, soconstructed and arranged that the weight of the supported article isutilized to prevent swinging thereof. A further object is to provide asupporting device with respect to which the article to be 15 supportedmay be readily engaged or disengaged.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation illustratingone form of a supporting device constructed in accordance with theinvention. Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Figure 3 is a topplan view. Figures 4, 5 and 6 are similar views of a slightly modifiedform. 7

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, 10 designates a metalplate-like, support-member, having beveled marginal edges 11, andsecured to a wall W or other similar supporting surface by means of ascrew 12, passed through a suitable 30 opening in said member. The loweredge of the V member 10 is cut away as indicated, to form a slot 13, theend walls of which are bent at right angles to form hinge ears 14. Thecorners ll are sharp- .ened to'penetrate wall W.

The article-supporting member consists of a metal plate-like body 15,having .beveled edges 16, and a handle-receiving opening 17. The rearend of the body is provided with a reduced lug 18, the sides of whichare bent downwardly to form 4 hinge ears 19. It will be observed thatthe ears ,5 which said pintle may be inserted.

Wrapped around the pintle 20 is a coil spring 22, having one extremity23 engaging the under surface of the body 10, and the other extremity 24engaging the under surface of the member 15. By

, this arrangement of the spring, the tension thereof normally acts tomove the article engaging member 15 upwardly on said pintle toward thefront face of the member 10. This upward movement, however, is limitedby abutment lug 25, positioned to arrest upward movement of the member15, at

the time that the members 10 and 15 are in approximately right angularrelation.

In practice, the support member 10 is attached to the wall W, orothersupport by means of the screw 12, and while so. attached thesupport member 15 will normally lie in an approximately right angularposition with respect to the wall and the member 10. To support a broom,mop, brush or any other device having a handle, said handle is passedupwardly through the open- 2 ing 17 so that the article will beardownwardly on member 15, whereupon the weight/of the article will movethe support member downwardly on the pivotal support, said movementbeing yieldably resisted by the spring 22. 7 Then by en- 7 0 gagingopposite portions of the edge of the opening 17 with a downward pull onthe handle the frictional engagement of said, edge portions with thehandle will hold the article firmly suspended. Such downward movementcontinues until the lower end of the handle of the supported articleengages the adjacent portion of the wall surface, whereupon furtherdownward movement of the support member 15 is arrested, and the articleis firmly supported, as above stated, with the lower end thereofengaging the wallin a manner which will prevent swinging. To disengage,it is only necessary to grasp thehandle of. the article and move itvupwardly. As soon as said member 15 is relieved of the weight of thearticle, the I spring will cause the member 15 to inove upwardly .to itshorizontal position, thereby releasing member 15 from the frictionalgrip of the edge of the opening 17, and permitting'free removal of thesuspended article and leaving member 15 in position for ready engagementwhen desired to again suspend the article. 3 v A In the form of theinvention illustrated inFigures i, 5 and 6, the device is constructed ofwire parts bent into the desired form. Referring to said figures, thesupport member consists of a body formed of a piece of wire 30 bent toprovide loops 31, and arm-like portions 32, the extremities of which arebent to provide spaced-apart hinge eyes 33. The loops 31 are so arrangedthat the device may be secured to the wall or other support by means ofscrews passed through said loops.

The article-engaging member is also constructed of a single piece ofwire 34, bent to provide an article-engaging loop 35, the end portionsof which are bent laterally to provide hinge pintles 36. The wire at oneof said pintles is continued and bent back to form a stop member 3'7,positioned to abut against one of the arms 32, and- 110 the extremity ofsaid stop arm is bent forwardly to provide a spring-engaging finger 38.A suitable spring connects said spring finger with one of the loops 31so that the tension of said spring normally maintains the device withthe articleengaging member in horizontal position, pivotal movement inan upward direction being limited by stop 3'7 engaging the adjacent arm32. The operation and functions of the device are identical with thosedescribed in connection'with the structure illustrated in Figures 1, 2and 3.

The advantages of the invention will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art to which it belongs. It will be particularly notedthat an exceedingly simple and inexpensive device is provided, soconstructed and arranged thatit may be attached to a wall or othersupporting surface, and while engaged with a broom, mop, brush or otherdevice will yieldably sustain the same by frictional engagementtherewith, so that it will be held steadily and conveniently accessible.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been particularlydescribed in connection with brooms, brushes and mops, it is not limitedin its use to supporting of these articles, but is capable of use insupporting various other articles and devices equipped with handles.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described anoperative manner of constructing and using the same, although withoutattempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or allof the forms of its use, what is claimed is:-

1. A supporting device of the character described comprising asupport-member formed of wire having its extremities provided with hingeeyes, an article-engaging member also constructed of wire and havingbent pintle portions engaging said eyes, one of said pintle portionshaving a finger-like extension, a spring connected with said extensionand with said support-member, and complemental stop means carried bysaid members for limiting pivotal movement of the support-member in onedirection under the tension of said spring.

2. A supporting device of the character described comprising asupport-member formed of a piece of wire having arm-like end portions,the extremities of which are provided with hinge eyes, anarticle-engaging member also constructed of a piece of wire havingpintle portions engaging said eyes, one of said pintle portions havingan abutment-member extended across one of said arm-like portions of thesupport member and terminating in an angular finger, and a springconnecting said finger with said body member.

3. A supporting device of the character described comprising a supportmember adapted to be fixedly attached to a supporting surface and havinga depending lower portion forming hinge ears, an article-engaging memberhaving its rear portion provided with complemental hinge ears pivotallyconnected to the first mentioned hinge ears, and means normally actingto yieldably move the article-engaging member in one direction on saidpivotal connection, one of said members having a portion of its bodybent over to form an integral stop member abutting against the othermember to limit pivotal movement of the article-engaging member in onedirection.

4. A supporting device of the character described comprising aplate-like support member having a cut-away recess-portion provided withend walls forming hinge ears, an article-engaging member having its rearedge extended into said recess, said rear edge having hinge ears lyingbetween the first mentioned hinge ears, a pivot pin connecting saidhinge ears, 2. spring normally acting to move said article-engagingmember in one direction, and stop means in a plane between said hingeears to limit movement of the article engaging member under tension ofsaid spring.

5. A supporting device of the character described comprising aplate-like support member having a cut-away recess-portion provided withend walls forming hinge ears, an article-engaging member having its rearedge extended into said recess and having hinge ears lying between thefirst mentioned hinge ears, a pintle pivotally connecting said hingeears, and a spring encircling said pintle and normally acting to movesaid article engaging member in one direction, said support memberhaving an integral stop lug at its lower edge portion positioned tooverhang said article-engaging member, said hinge pintle and said springbeing normally concealed from view.

6. A supporting device of the character described comprising aplate-like member having angular side edges and a cut-awayrecess-portion at itslower edge provided with end walls forming hingeears, an article-engaging member of plate-like form also having angularside edges and having its rear edge extended into said recess andprovided with hinge ears complemental to the first mentioned hinge ears,means pivotally connecting said hinge ears, a spring normally acting tomove the article-engaging member in one direction, said spring and saidhinge connecting means being so positioned as to be normally concealedby the side portions of the supporting plate and the article engagingmember, and stop means in a plane between the hinge ears and sopositioned as to engage the rear portion of the article 1 engagingmember to limit pivotal movement thereof.

CHARLES E. BERG.

